The B970, B970b 3G router with an embedded 3G chip (think Linksys WRT54G3G without having to buy a PCMCIA card). It has 4 ethernet ports, an analogue port for attaching a phone, WiFi support as well as a connection for an external antenna. When attached via USB to a PC it presents itself in the same as a USB modem. In this mode however the ethernet ports and WiFi are disabled.

The B970 has recently been replaced by the B970b. Main difference is better uplink speed (5.76 Mbps) and support for HSPA/UMTS in the 900MHz frequency range (which means you can use it with Cell C) otherwise everything else looks the same.

Vodafone/Vodacom Firmware UpdatesSP04 is no longer available from the Vodacom Downloads Page since the site was revamped. The direct link from the old page still works: Firmware Upgrade 256.11.10.06.105.SP04*. This update is supposed to correct the problem where the router looses its settings randomly, but sadlydoes not.Caution: Care needs to be taken when applying this update. There have been reports of this update either resulting in a bricked router or a partially updated router. The update instructions below have proven to be successful.* Downloading this update while connected to Vodacom 3G does not count against your cap.

MTN FirmwareMTN do have their own branded firmware, but there have already been reports that things like DDNS have been removed. There may be other features that have been disabled, so using this firmware on the Vodafone branded version is probably not a good idea. Workaround for enabling DDNS on the MTN firmware here

Available from the MTN Downloads Page. Direct Link: Version 20080811

Custom Firmwarehave released the source and toolchain for downloadThere are some details on the E960 which is a close relative to the B970 and attempts at OpenWRT which could serve as a pointer to some enterprising persons.

Vodafone/Vodacom Firmware Update ProcedureI have personally bricked one router and at least one other forumite has reported bricking theirs. Another's partially updated and will not complete the rest. I have subsequently refined the update method and others have also reported successfully applying the SP04 update. It was also discovered that you can selectively update components if the update process fails. If you are not sure what you are doing it might be best to skip this one over or take your router to a Vodacare store and let them perform the update. As always Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV).

DDNS Feature Not AvailableIt has been noted that other providers around the world, in a similar fashion to MTN, have also removed DDNS from their custom config. Some people have reported

successfully flashing the Vodafone firmware over their existing providers firmware. You of course do so at own risk